10 Ficlets
by Supaslim
Summary: One every day until they're all up. Rated T for minor violence in #4, and death/violence in #10.
1. Chariots of Fire

1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.  
2. Turn your music player on and turn it on random/shuffle.  
3. Write a drabblet/ficlet related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterward! No matter how whacked out your drabble is. :)  
4. Do ten of these, then post them.

1. "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis (Yes, I know, very corny XD )

They were like gods, and it was that exhilaration, that indescribable feeling of great power that turned Daniel Dreiburg from an ordinary man into the Nite Owl. He was almost ashamed of the fact that he was not driven by an overwhelming sense of righteousness, like Ozymandius, or the need to protect the helpless, like Captain Metropolis (or dare he say it, Rorschach, in his own twisted way).

Almost.

The feeling of invulnerability his leather costume gave him, the knowledge that what he did helped the world, if only in a small way… It made it worth it. Because for a moment, he could rise up from the masses and be the hero he never was.

_a/n: Somehow, I think "Chariots of Fire" fits Dan's perspective of crime fighting perfectly._


	2. Behind Blue Eyes

2. "Behind Blue Eyes" by the Who

Rorschach could remember a time when he was merciful, but he knew better now. It was far better to be hated than to let the scum of New York wander the streets, corrupting the innocent and laying waste to all that is good. Now, he would not, _could not_ hold back. Gladly he would decimate any foe that stood between the world and cleanliness, even if it meant that he, too, became foul.

Once, he was honorable. His associates (quitters, all of them, even Daniel, they quit, they gave in) respected him, even as they were disgusted and confused by him. Now they feared him, because they didn't _understand_. Somebody had to go the whole nine yards. Simply putting criminals in prisons was insufficient. Prompt termination was the only way to salvage their country's tattered remains, and somebody had to do it.

Somebody had to save the world.

_a/n: I could go much deeper into Rorschach's perspective with this song. Just look at the lyrics for yourself- they're very him. But, I'll stick to the rules for once and leave it be._


	3. Sad Statue

3. "Sad Statue" by System of a Down

It was with a heavy heart that Nite Owl became Daniel, replacing his outfit on the dummy in his workshop. The Keene Act had passed- he knew it would.

A few years back, he remembered melancholically, he was considered a hero. He and Rorschach, Silk Spectre, Ozymandius… Well, Ozymandius still was a hero, he mused a little bitterly.

Still, the government had painted a negative image upon him- Nite Owl, who had never killed, had never hurt anybody more than was necessary to restrain them. Perhaps Rorschach matched their description of the masks, but not him. The victors were the ones who wrote the history books, though, and he knew he would be written off as a misguided vigilante.

But he could not hate his country. They were confused, minds clouded by war and politics. They thought he was to blame, he who answered the cries for help in the streets. But it was okay. He could forgive them. They didn't know what they were doing.

_a/n: maybe a little ooc for Dan, and definitely a little religious- sorry about that. It just seemed to fit._


	4. Tribute

4. "Tribute" by Tenacious D (This is the greatest and best song in the world… Tribute.)

Moloch was one of the most difficult criminals Rorschach had ever worked to bring in, but he was refreshing compared to the usual desperados.

Though undoubtedly a criminal, Moloch was not a murderer. He stole and conned, but he did not harm- usually. And yet, for one who did not kill, he was a surprisingly good fighter.

The final confrontation occurred after weeks of tailing the criminal. Nite Owl and Rorschach had him cornered in an alley.

"So you think you can bring me in?" The man had asked, a small smile adorning his lips.

"Yes," both vigilantes said in unison, as if planned. And then, Moloch twitched his hand, and there was an explosion of oily indigo smoke on the asphalt. Filth begetting filth! The sneak dodged through the screen, only to be tackled by Rorschach. He slammed his elbow into the vigilante's face and squirmed free, nearly escaping. But he had forgotten Nite Owl, who was at the ready with a special apparatus he had built only a week before. The moment Moloch emerged from the smoke, Nite Owl lifted up a hefty gun of sorts, and pulled the trigger. A heavy net blasted from the muzzle, bringing the criminal down.

"A mere net cannot stop me!" Moloch shrieked from his restrains. There was a flash of steel, and he cut through the rope mesh. But out of the smog leapt a familiar silhouette. Rorschach forcibly beat him down, grinding his face against the ground as he pinned his arms behind him.

"Maybe not," Nite Owl said, grinning. "But we can."

_a/n: Not my greatest writing in the world at all, but I'd like to see you do better on a time limit with a Tenacious D song._


	5. Curtains

5. "Curtains" by Peter Gabriel

Michael was afraid of many things, but the dark was not one of them.

He was afraid of his mother, mostly- she always screamed at him and his siblings, and told them off for accidents and bad behavior alike. He was also afraid of the men she brought home- horrible men who stank of alcohol, who stared at them in uncomfortable ways.

He was afraid of the man who lived in their building. He was "eccentric," as his mother said. A nutcase. He reeked like the toilet when it backed up, and always looked blank, like he'd kill somebody as soon as he'd exchange meaningless pleasantries with them- something, Michael had noticed, this man did not seem to be capable of.

But Michael was not afraid of the night, and what came with it. There were thieves and killers in this part of town, he knew- he could hear the occasional scream after dark. But there were also heroes out there, heroes like the legendary Nite Owl, and Silk Spectre, and his favorite, Rorschach.

He feared his mother, with good reason.

He feared the men she brought home, and that Kovacs guy, with good reason.

But he did not fear the dark.

_a/n: I quite like this one, if only for the irony._


	6. Closing Time

6. "Closing Time" by Supersonic

"Sun's coming up," Rorschach pointed out blandly from his vantage point at the window.

"I see that." Nite Owl watched his partner obstinately from across the room, where he was watching the alley from another window.

"Go home."

"You first." They exchanged glances.

"Go home, Daniel."

"Go home, Rorschach." More glaring. They were equally stubborn. It was a standoff. "Why aren't you going?"

"You'll follow me."

"Do you have a home to go to?" Nite Owl asked, a hint of genuine concern pervading his voice as he revealed the true cause of his doggedness.

"_Yes._ Now go home."

"Because I have a spare room, if you need-"

"_Go home, Daniel._" And Rorschach, irritated, left the room, a persistent Owl trailing behind him.

_a/n: Daniel being a mother hen. What else is new?_


	7. Shortly Before the End

7. "Shortly Before the End" by OK Go

_**The End Has Come**_

Perhaps it was fitting that the redheaded doomsayer had been replaced by a newer model, a battered old man with a freshly painted sign. The end was not nigh. The end was here.

The squid monster's corpse; locked between skyscrapers, had begun rotting. Labor forces had been mustered to hack it to pieces and cart it away. Other teams were freeing human casualties from the rubble and laying them to rest one by one. Most were interred nameless, their identities lost with their minds and their lives.

And among the working men and women strode the doomsayer, sign held aloft like a cross to be born.

_**The End Has Come**_

_a/n: I like this one too._


	8. Let It Rock

8. "Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolf

There were pictures of vigilantes plastered to the wall. Sitting on the edge of his desk, Lt. Farris stared at them. X'd out were the portraits of the ones who called themselves Silk Spectre, Ozymandius, and Nite Owl. Laurie Juspeczyk had retired from her job as the crime fighting vixen when the Keene Act was instituted. Adrian Veidt had stepped forward as Ozymandius years before. And Nite Owl- Nite Owl had retired, but he had never given his real name. There was a blank space under his picture where it should be.

The only other picture without a name was that of the ruthless vigilante Rorschach. His portrait was as mysterious as he, roughly drawn by a forensic artist. It was nearly identical to the real thing, Farris knew, but nothing could capture that shifting face and unseen gaze. Some day, that murderer would have to be punished. He was the only one left. And if the anonymous tip passed down to him from above was true, then tonight he would finally be brought in.

_a/n: Don't care for this one, but whatchya gonna do. If you don't see how it pertains to the song, I ask you to read the lyrics (first two verses, I think) and compare._


	9. Hotel California

9. "Hotel California" by the Eagles

He has two trained nurses always by his side, these days. He can't function alone- he isn't living in the present. His mind is lost in the haze of alcohol and old times, even though he is decades sober. It's been a long time since he had the capacity to pour himself a drink of that loving, hating tonic.

He does not recognize the faces of those around him. He sees the facades of his old comrades, untarnished by time. They smile at him, clap intangible hands on his shoulders. He does not feel the real ones, supporting him. He does not see the real Nite Owl or Silk Spectre before him, watching him with pity from wrinkled faces. He lives in a fantasy, and he's content to stay there.

_a/n: This song is MADE for Byron, I swear._


	10. Ruled By Secrecy

10. "Ruled by Secrecy" by Muse

It is 5:32 in the evening. There is blood on my hands. A body is at my feet. This time, she won't understand.

It is 5:56. She is screaming at me, raging like the fiercest of Marsian storms. It's a wonder that I don't erode under her screams and fists.

It is 5:28. He is arguing with me. He blames me for the death of Walter Kovacs. He is right in blaming me, but it is not entirely my doing. One cannot fight fate.

It is 5:59. She has given up, falling to mourn her late lover. Still she screams at me, hating me for returning, hating me for what I've done. I tire of listening.

It is 6:04. I am in Adrian Veidt's office. He is as I left him, reclining at his desk as if sleeping. The quiet is peaceful, interrupted only by the spreading red stain on the oak desktop, ruining plans for Veidt's new toy line. It is peaceful but I will tire of it in forty two seconds, and return to her apartment to finish it.

_a/n: A good way to end. First time ever using Manhattan's POV, can't say I like it, though I think it turned out okay._


End file.
